Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z, two weeks in a row)
Blocks: 32
I saw Julian's name in the constructor's line, thought "oh, boy", and
despite the deceptive appearance of the grid, I was right - just 4 gimme
answers on the first pass across (AIM, VEGAN, WIIs and NEE ). Down was
not much better until I got to the SW, and nailed the two 9-letter
fills there. That gave me hope, and I fought my way through some of the
vague clues to an 'almost' finish - Frawnche got me, perped with
a proper name. Ugh. Anyway, double 9-letter corners and two 11-letter
climbers;
8. Be flexible : PLAY IT BY EAR
- Started with "STAY----" and that wasn't working. "Wanna go bowling after work? - Let's play it by ear." Musically, I have gotten better on the guitar,
but I was never quite so good as to "play it by ear"
23. TV cooking show? : BREAKING BAD
- The "?" let me know it was not going to be "HELL'S KITCHEN" ( and it
wasn't going to fit anyway ). The 'cooking' in this particular drama
was Crystal Meth, if I'm not mistaken - it's on the list of DVD shows to
watch for me
ooh~! ooh~! OnWARD~! (see 53a.)
ACROSS:
1. Its General Test consists of six sections: Abbr. : GRE - yeah, not SAT; this is the Graduate Record Examinations
4. "NYPD Blue" Emmy winner Gordon : CLAPP - all perps
9. Senseless : DAFT - I like Daft Punk myself
13. Tone-deaf, say : NON-MUSICAL
16. Topic preceder : IN RE
17. Its airport is in the subcity of Bole : ADDIS ABABA - no clue, but with just a few letters in place, there weren't many places to choose from at that point
18. Rafts : A TON - meh
19. Houdini's birth name : WEISS - Erik Weisz, then Ehrich Weiss
20. Annual milestone, briefly : B-DAY - I always abbr. Birthday in my journal this way
21. "Raise Your Glass" singer : PINK - link away~!
22. Auction giant : SOTHEBY'S - ah - I learned there's no "U"
24. Ham-handed : INEPT
26. Lake Biel feeder : AAR - my first thought, but I hesitated
27. Mil. installation named for a 4-Down general : Ft. BRAGG - I needed 4D to get it;
4. "NYPD Blue" Emmy winner Gordon : CLAPP - all perps
9. Senseless : DAFT - I like Daft Punk myself
13. Tone-deaf, say : NON-MUSICAL
16. Topic preceder : IN RE
17. Its airport is in the subcity of Bole : ADDIS ABABA - no clue, but with just a few letters in place, there weren't many places to choose from at that point
18. Rafts : A TON - meh
19. Houdini's birth name : WEISS - Erik Weisz, then Ehrich Weiss
20. Annual milestone, briefly : B-DAY - I always abbr. Birthday in my journal this way
21. "Raise Your Glass" singer : PINK - link away~!
22. Auction giant : SOTHEBY'S - ah - I learned there's no "U"
24. Ham-handed : INEPT
26. Lake Biel feeder : AAR - my first thought, but I hesitated
27. Mil. installation named for a 4-Down general : Ft. BRAGG - I needed 4D to get it;
4D. Lee side: Abbr. : CSA - Confederate States of America - and one of it's Mil. generals
29. "Nothing to it" : SIMPLE AS ABC
34. Phone bill encl. : SAE - Self-Addressed Envelope; I don't remit payment this way for anything anymore
35. "London Fields" writer : AMIS - DAH~!! No clue - first name Martin; published in 1989
36. Like some self-appointed critics : ARTSY
37. Encouraging start? : ATTA - as in "Atta boy/girl~!!"
38. Out of action, perhaps : ILL
39. Dog named for an island : SKYE TERRIER
41. Sunny spots : SOLARIA - because lanais and atria and window sills didn't fit - however, veranda was a possibility
43. Marksman's asset : AIM - I hope so
44. Likely Meatout supporter : VEGAN - Meatout? Really?
45. Video game series set mostly on Azeroth : WARCRAFT - World of Warcraft; I watched my one-time step-son play this; not as fascinating as Final Fantasy, IMHO
50. __ nut : PINE - had to wait on perps
51. Object : GOAL - object, as in the noun, and more like 'objective'
53. "What have we here?" : HELLO - Well, we have a new blue-eyed girl that has caught my attention - and this one is much more my speed, I think; for one thing, she's in the program, and over a year, too - so she's my new "51a". Don't know her name yet, but I do know who to ask to find out - and this time I am not screwing it up, C.C. - I will say "Hello"....should I wear my suit~? (gratuitous self-image, but C.C. did request I post it )
54. MMXIV and others : ANNI - Get your Roman calculators out; this is 2014, and the Latin for 'years'
55. Vet's souvenir : BATTLE SCAR
57. Super Mario Galaxy systems : Wiis
58. Initially : AT THE START
59. "Tout de suite!" : STAT - more Frawnche
60. Oreck competitor : DYSON
61. Once called : NEE
DOWN:
1. Vexes, with "at" : GNAWS
2. Ballet with a hoedown : RODEO - um, yeah, I can see that
3. Go no further : END IT - like relationships
5. Cheney chief of staff Scooter __ : LIBBY - couldn't remember the name until --BBY
6. Specialized schools: Abbr. : ACADemys
7. Out-of-favor sunscreen compound : PABA - Learning moment; the Wiki
9. It's often disposable : DIAPER - I hate when these things come thru the UPS system - the perfumes in them really irritate my nose
10. Aperitivi followers : ANTIPASTI
11. Private community entrance : FRONT GATE
12. Prep for a marathon : TEN-K - I don't run, but my buddy Ed does; he's finished marathons, and I won't even start to THINK about one
14. "Oops" elicitors : MISHAPS
15. Dollar bill depiction, familiarly : US SEAL
25. It has six of the seven rainbow colors in its logo : NBC - OK, so which part of ROY G. BIV is missing....
29. "Nothing to it" : SIMPLE AS ABC
34. Phone bill encl. : SAE - Self-Addressed Envelope; I don't remit payment this way for anything anymore
35. "London Fields" writer : AMIS - DAH~!! No clue - first name Martin; published in 1989
36. Like some self-appointed critics : ARTSY
37. Encouraging start? : ATTA - as in "Atta boy/girl~!!"
38. Out of action, perhaps : ILL
39. Dog named for an island : SKYE TERRIER
41. Sunny spots : SOLARIA - because lanais and atria and window sills didn't fit - however, veranda was a possibility
43. Marksman's asset : AIM - I hope so
44. Likely Meatout supporter : VEGAN - Meatout? Really?
45. Video game series set mostly on Azeroth : WARCRAFT - World of Warcraft; I watched my one-time step-son play this; not as fascinating as Final Fantasy, IMHO
50. __ nut : PINE - had to wait on perps
51. Object : GOAL - object, as in the noun, and more like 'objective'
53. "What have we here?" : HELLO - Well, we have a new blue-eyed girl that has caught my attention - and this one is much more my speed, I think; for one thing, she's in the program, and over a year, too - so she's my new "51a". Don't know her name yet, but I do know who to ask to find out - and this time I am not screwing it up, C.C. - I will say "Hello"....should I wear my suit~? (gratuitous self-image, but C.C. did request I post it )
54. MMXIV and others : ANNI - Get your Roman calculators out; this is 2014, and the Latin for 'years'
55. Vet's souvenir : BATTLE SCAR
57. Super Mario Galaxy systems : Wiis
58. Initially : AT THE START
59. "Tout de suite!" : STAT - more Frawnche
60. Oreck competitor : DYSON
61. Once called : NEE
DOWN:
1. Vexes, with "at" : GNAWS
2. Ballet with a hoedown : RODEO - um, yeah, I can see that
3. Go no further : END IT - like relationships
5. Cheney chief of staff Scooter __ : LIBBY - couldn't remember the name until --BBY
6. Specialized schools: Abbr. : ACADemys
7. Out-of-favor sunscreen compound : PABA - Learning moment; the Wiki
9. It's often disposable : DIAPER - I hate when these things come thru the UPS system - the perfumes in them really irritate my nose
10. Aperitivi followers : ANTIPASTI
11. Private community entrance : FRONT GATE
12. Prep for a marathon : TEN-K - I don't run, but my buddy Ed does; he's finished marathons, and I won't even start to THINK about one
14. "Oops" elicitors : MISHAPS
15. Dollar bill depiction, familiarly : US SEAL
25. It has six of the seven rainbow colors in its logo : NBC - OK, so which part of ROY G. BIV is missing....
27. __ food : FAST - could have been a circum-referential clue to 30d
28. Drive, e.g. : GEAR
29. Je ne __ quoi : SAIS - ARGH~!!!!; 'nuf said
30. McDonald's slogan : I'M LOVIN' IT - it's getting dated, if you ask me; Justin Timberlake recorded the actual song in 2003
31. Eon parts : MILLENNIA
32. "Game of Thrones" girl __ Stark : ARYA - Don't have HBO/Starz, but I have caught some moments of this show and "Black Sails" when I have been over at my buddy Mike's house
33. __-Foy, Quebec : STE - Ugh, and still more
37. Theatergoers often share one : ARMREST
39. Málaga Mrs. : SRA
40. Lucre : RICHES
42. One hostile to seniors : AGEIST
45. Juice amounts? : WATTS - Juice as in electricity - cute.
46. E'en if : ALTHO
47. Highway covered in "The Milepost" : ALCAN - the Alaska Highway, or the Alaska-Canadian Highway, and its website
48. Solar __ : FLARE - massive
28. Drive, e.g. : GEAR
29. Je ne __ quoi : SAIS - ARGH~!!!!; 'nuf said
30. McDonald's slogan : I'M LOVIN' IT - it's getting dated, if you ask me; Justin Timberlake recorded the actual song in 2003
31. Eon parts : MILLENNIA
32. "Game of Thrones" girl __ Stark : ARYA - Don't have HBO/Starz, but I have caught some moments of this show and "Black Sails" when I have been over at my buddy Mike's house
33. __-Foy, Quebec : STE - Ugh, and still more
37. Theatergoers often share one : ARMREST
39. Málaga Mrs. : SRA
40. Lucre : RICHES
42. One hostile to seniors : AGEIST
45. Juice amounts? : WATTS - Juice as in electricity - cute.
46. E'en if : ALTHO
47. Highway covered in "The Milepost" : ALCAN - the Alaska Highway, or the Alaska-Canadian Highway, and its website
48. Solar __ : FLARE - massive
49. Patisserie product : TORTE - I did drafting for a pastry shop when I worked for the architect, so I knew this term
50. Cat's catchers : PAWS
52. Like some high-fiber cereal : OATY
56. College basketball TV analyst Elmore : LEN
Splynter
